Home for Christmas

Home for Christmas

Anna Smith ran down the snowy pathway to her little tree-house in the woods. Tears flowed swiftly down her cheeks.

“How could this happen?” she whispered into the chilly air, her hands clenching the terrible letter! Only a few minute previous Anna’s mother had gotten a letter saying that Anna’s father would not be back from the war, he had died in an explosion trying to help a fellow comrade! Anna laid her head with her wild hair into a soft pillow. Anna loved her father so much! How could he be gone? Anna looked at the roof of her favorite place, a little tree-house in the woods of the Smith’s property. Her father had made her this tree house when Anna was just a little girl, she could still remember her father working day and night to make her this precious tree house! Oh the wonderful memories she had with her father, but now that was all gone, her father was gone! Christmas was in only two weeks and Anna could not even imagine how miserable it would be without her father! Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without him.

~

Several hours later Anna heard a knock on the door of her tree house.

“Come in,” sniffled Anna, she brushed the tears from her grey eyes.

Anna’s little sister Bella walked in.

“What do you want?” asked Anna.

“Momma told me to check on you!” said Bella with a shaky voice.

“Are you ok, Anna?” Bella asked her voice shaking violently.

Anna’s heart softened to her sister, “come here Bella!” Anna said.

Bella came running to Anna and started crying in her lap.

“Momma has been crying all day,” cried out Bella, “I don’t understand! Isn’t daddy coming back?” Bella looked up at Anna with troubled eyes.

Anna’s tears threatened to spill, “No, Bella,” she said, “daddy isn’t coming back, he is in Heaven now!”

“But… no!” cried out Bella, “I don’t believe it! I don’t! Daddy is still alive!”
Anna started crying.

“Bella,” she said, “you don’t understand, daddy is gone- Forever.”

“No, he is not!” said Bella in a strong voice.

As the days past by the Smith’s house was full of silence and pain.

“Why haven’t we gone Christmas shopping?” Bella asked her mother one day, “Christmas is in one week! Daddy will be back soon, so we need to buy him a present!”
Mrs. Smith stared at her daughter in horror.

“Bella,” she said, “daddy isn’t coming back.”

“Yes, he is!”

Mrs. Smith gave up and pain swelled up in her chest, she missed her husband so much! Christmas was always the best time of the year; it was when her husband always came home from the air-force. But this Christmas would not be Christmas without him.

Anna stood up from her seat on the couch.

“She is right about one thing you know!” she said meekly, “Christmas might not be the same without daddy, but we still can have Christmas! We need to pull our selves together and make this Christmas special. Then looking at her mother she said, “That’s what daddy would have wanted!” Anna’s knees buckled and she fell on the floor in a ball of tears!

Mrs. Smith went running to her daughter and hugged her, tears falling down her cheeks.

“you are right, Anna,” said mother, “that is what your father would have wanted! Your father loved Christmas and he would hate to see us forgetting the joy in Christmas! He would want us to be thankful for what we do have- each other!”

Anna looked up at her mother and a smile tugged at her lips, the first smile since she had found out her father had died!

Bella came running up to her mother and sister and gave them a hug, maybe they would still have a Christmas after all!

~

Anna went shopping the next day. she bought Bella a beautiful baby doll, and she bought her mother a jewelry box that had music that played when it was opened she knew that she would just love it! When she went to pick out something for her father deep pain struck her heart, she remembered that he was- gone! Anna kept the tears back that were threatening to spill and went to the check out with her purchases!

Christmas day came quickly, and the morning of Anna woke up bright and early as she usually did on Christmas morning, she started to run to her parent’s room to wake them up, but then she remembered.

“ oh why did he have to die?” Anna thought with pain, “ and why before Christmas, if we could have had one more Christmas with him it would have been better!”

Anna walked slowly to Bella’s room, she was sure that Bella was probably already up and she didn’t want her to disturb mother, at least not this Christmas.

When Anna opened the door to Bella’s room she saw her little sister crying on her bed.

“Oh, Bella! What’s the matter?”

“Why isn’t he here yet?” asked Bella, “he should be here by now!” tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

“Bella, we have told you before daddy isn’t coming back! He is in Heaven now! Can’t you understand?”

“ but…” stampered Bella, “ I couldn’t believe it, I felt sure he was coming back!”
 Anna looked at Bella in sorrow, oh how she wished this wasn’t so hard!

“ he is not coming back!” Anna said raising her voice, “ he just isn’t!” and she went running to her room.

Mother woke up a few moments later and they all went down stairs to open presents.

Bella was the first to open her presents she opened mother’s first and then Anna’s, Bella loved the doll. Anna got a beautiful green dress from her mother, and a pretty cream shawl from Bella. When mother was done opening her presents there was still one more present under the tree.

“ who is that for?” asked mother.

“ I bought it for daddy, but I guess he isn’t here to open it like I thought he would!” cried out Bella.

“Oh Bella,” said mother, “you shouldn’t have done that!”

Bella continued crying and mother went to hug her. Just then they heard a knock on the front door. Thump. Thump. Thump.

“I’ll get it,” said Anna, “I wonder who is here? Everyone should be busy celebrating Christmas at their house.

Anna opened the door. Standing in front of her was a tall man covered in snow and a hat low over his head.

“May I help you,” Anna asked.

 The man lifted his head and smiled, “hello, Anna! I have missed you!”

Anna gasped and stared, this man was her daddy!

“Daddy!” she screamed and jumped into his arms.

Mother stared, and put her hands over her face in chock, “is it you? Is it really you?”
“Yes, it is! I came home in time for Christmas!”

“I told you he would be here for Christmas!” Cried Bella.

The End

Mr. Smith had nearly escaped the explosion, but he did miraculously with minor injuries. The air-force did not know of his escape till weeks later, Mr. Smith made sure he reached his family in time for Christmas!